For Happily Ever After
by Lynnwood
Summary: An accidental wish on the Black Star Dragonballs has Goku, Vegeta, ChiChi and Bulma turned eighteen again and traveling all across the galaxy in one misadventure after another to retrieve the Dragonballs and save the Earth. Post MajinBuu VB, GCC
1. Chapter 1 : Trouble in Paradise

**Author Notes**

Been a while since I've forayed into the DBZ fanfiction, even though this was my first series I ever did a fanfic about. So It's like coming full-circle. Just to get it out of the way, I dun own DBZ, DB or DBGT. Akira Toriyama and all those other wonderful companies and affiliates get to do that.

I would like to think that this story idea is mostly an original one, yet with the thousands of fics posted here alone, that's probably a slim possibility. Yet this fic is my own, written entirely by me, with no conscious intention to copy anyone else.

The setting for this fic will be about 3 years post-Majin Buu, but after that the story is complete Alternate Universe. I'm essentially re-writing Dragonball GT to my own liking. (And before you say something, yes I know that GT doesn't happen for several years after when my story is based. I did that on purpose. Please don't point it out to me, for it will be incredibly redundant.)

This fic is rated M for mature, for adult situations, adult language and probably some violence thrown in there for kicks (I mean, the story IS about Saiyans after all). Don't read if you don't like that kind of stuff. I probably will write a few "lemons" (sex scenes) for this fic (they seem to work their way into almost everything that I do), but if I do, they won't be able to be posted at this site due to its policies. If and when it comes to it, I'll leave instructions in the body of the fic for you to obtain the lost parts of the story.

In case you couldn't tell from the synopsis, this fic will be a VB and a GCC. If you don't like that, don't read. That simple.

So, if you're still interested, just continue on down and enjoy! Oh, and reviews are never remiss. The more the merrier.

* * *

**Chapter 1**

_Trouble in Paradise_

Goten Son watched with wide eyes from behind his large rice bowl as his mother—normally rather calm and serene, at least so long as Gohan was studying like he was supposed to—threw dishes into the sink with a loud, clattering vengeance. The small nineyear old cringed a little when the large skillet made a huge banging noise as it connected with the stainless-steel siding. Chi-Chi began scrubbing at its dirty surface vigorously—perhaps a little too vigorously—strands of her ink black hair slipping loose from her normally immaculate bun and framing her flushed, sweat-misted face.

As she worked, Goten could hear her muttering under her breath, voice angry. But worse than that, his sensitive ears could hear the tremble of hurt in her tone. And he could hear the faint sniffle she would give every now and then, and see the streaks down her rose-colored cheeks that hadn't come from sweat.

Goten didn't like to see his mama cry. Even though it seemed she cried a lot, she had always tried to hide it from him over the years, sending him and Gohan off to bed at night and then going up to her room all alone. He and his older brother had lain in the darkness, their Saiyan ears easily picking up her muffled sobs above them. They had never spoken of it, perhaps Gohan didn't like the thought of their mother grieving anymore than he did.

Goten had puzzled out for himself from her words that she had been missing his daddy all those other times. Yet Goku was back now! How come his mom was still crying if his dad was back home for good?

"Stupid . . . worthless idiot . . . rather train . . . why do I even bother!" snippets of Chi-Chi's hissing voice, barely above a whisper, made their way to Goten's ears and he frowned.

Mom had made a huge breakfast like always, though now that he thought about it, there were several special touches that she didn't usually include. Had she done it just for dad? Well no wonder she had looked so crestfallen when Goku had sped out of the house before the sun had barely risen, saying that he had to get an early start on training Uub. He had also informed them that they were going to take their sessions to Kami's Lookout from now on, and not to wait up as he wasn't sure when he'd be coming home.

Goten scowled suddenly, feeling tears prick his own eyes at the sight and sound of his mother's grief. And as to that, why couldn't his father stay home and train _him? _He was a good fighter! He had almost won the Junior Division World Tournament three years ago hadn't he? Goten huffed, annoyed, then turned his gaze from his mother to his older brother on the other side of the table.

Gohan, now in college and engaged to soon marry his High School sweetheart Videl, was keeping his head bowed and focused on his food. Yet Goten could see that his fists were clenched and his shoulders were faintly hunched—a clear sign that he was upset too. Goten just shook his head. His dad coming back home was all that his mom and brother had wanted for as long as he could remember. So far—to Goten at least—Goku Son didn't seem worth the trouble.

Having had enough of the oppressive melancholy inside these walls, Goten suddenly leapt out of his chair.

"Mommy, can I go to Trunks' house today?"

Chi-Chi wiped at her eyes with her dress sleeve before glancing down at him. Goten snorted. As if he didn't know what that red puffiness meant. He was almost ten years old after all, not a dumb baby.

"Make sure you call first to see if it's ok with Bulma, and have your brother take you."

Normally Goten might have protested the need for an escort because, again, nearly ten years old here. Yet he sensed that now was most definitely not the time to argue something so silly. Gohan, too, looked less than pleased at the prospect yet he said nothing. So Goten hopped over to the phone and levitated off the ground to reach the wall-mounted device. He picked it up and dialed one of two numbers that he had memorized since he was old enough to know what a telephone was.

It rang twice, then, "Hello sweetie, Capsule Corporation Residence. This is Chemise Briefs speaking, how may I help you today?"

Goten smiled at the sugar-sweet tone of Trunks' grandma. She was one of the nicest ladies in the whole wide world, and always had warm chocolate chip cookies waiting for him when he came over. His tummy rumbled at the thought.

"Hey Mrs. Briefs!" he chirruped. She giggled.

"Why hello there, Goten. How nice of you to call! Such a well-mannered young man you are." Goten preened under the praise, then remembered his original intent.

"Hey, can you ask Ms. Bulma if it'd be ok if I came over to play with Trunks today?"

"Sure thing sweetheart. You wait just one second and I'll transfer your call, so you can ask her yourself okay? I'm sure she'd love to hear your voice!"

"Okay!"

Goten waited for several moments, listening idly to the music playing in the ear-piece. Then the phone came back online. Goten jerked however as his sensitive ears were blasted by a feminine scream of rage.

"Just get the hell out of here Vegeta! I don't give a damn _where_ you go, just get away from me!"

Goten heard Mr. Vegeta yelling in the background too, though he couldn't quite make out what was said. It incited more yelling from the woman, and then there was a loud banging noise. Probably a door slamming. After another moment, Bulma's tired voice came on the line.

"Hello?"

"Um . . . hi Ms. Bulma," Goten began tentatively.

"Oh my Kami, sweetie, I'm so sorry," she immediately gushed. Goten swallowed as he heard the clear sound of tears suddenly clogging her voice. Bulma was the mom of his best friend after all. In a lot of ways, she was like his second mom, or very close aunt. He didn't like the idea of her crying any more than he did his own mother. "I didn't mean for you to hear that, Goten."

"I-it's ok," he quickly assured. "I was just calling to see if I could come over to play. But . . . m-maybe it's not a good time—,"

"No, no! We'd love to have you over, Goten. I'm sure Trunks could use the company. Do you need a ride?"

"No, Gohan's gonna take me."

"Okay then, we'll see you soon," she murmured, making a valiant attempt to make her voice sound cheerful and not on the verge of sobs.

"Okay, bye-bye," he returned, then hung up the phone. "Ms. Bulma said it's okay," he announced. His mother nodded without turning around.

Gohan got to his feet, hesitated behind their mother, then heaved a sigh and started for the front door. "Come on then, squirt."

"Bye mommy!" Goten called as he turned to leave.

"Bye sweetie," she returned. "Be careful flying over there, don't antagonize any dinosaurs on the way and don't eat too many sweets! You'll ruin your dinner!"

Goten smiled, as that sounded a bit more like the mom he knew and loved. He ran out the door, then took off in a blast of ki, as Gohan was already hovering off the ground waiting for him to catch up. They headed toward Capsule Corporation as fast as Goten could fly. They did so in silence for several minutes, then,

"Gohan, how come Dad doesn't like us?"

Gohan turned sharply in his direction, scowling.

"What makes you say that?! Of course Dad likes us! He loves us!"

"He sure doesn't _act_ like it," Goten responded petulantly. "If you love somebody you want to be around them all the time." He slid his elder brother a sour look. "Dad's _never_ here. Even now that he's alive again. It's been three years since Majin Buu got beat up and I don't think Dad's spent a whole entire day home with us that entire time. All he wants to do is fight and train Uub."

Gohan heaved a sigh. "You've gotta try to understand, Goten. Dad . . . well, he's just not like other people." Goten frowned

"Like what do you mean?" His older brother looked faintly uncomfortable, scratching at the back of his head, for a moment looking very much like the man they were discussing.

"Well . . . I asked Uncle Krillin once about it. He told me that . . . well, when dad was a kid, he got hit on the head really hard and it kinda scrambled him up a bit." Goten made a face.

"Dad's retarded?"

"No! He's not _retarded!" _Gohan snapped, scowling. "He's just . . . well, he doesn't think like we do sometimes. He doesn't understand that some things hurt us. It's not that he _means _to be mean to us. He honestly doesn't even know that what he's doing is wrong."

"Well somebody should tell him," Goten snapped. "I don't like seeing mom cry like that." For a moment, Gohan looked as though he would argue, then sighed heavily and shook his head.

"Me either, squirt. Me either."

In no time at all, the two Saiyan half-breeds were making their descent over the Capsule Corp. main building. Goten hopped a little in his landing, then followed his older brother inside. He frowned a little, as no doubt the only reason why Gohan was coming in was because he wanted some of Mrs. Briefs cookies.

Sure enough, there was a plate of fresh chocolate chip cookies sitting in the foyer with a note that a smiling Gohan said read "Enjoy." The smaller Son scowled as his older brother snatched up half of the gooey treats for himself and began doing just that.

"Mrs. Briefs made those for _me,"_ he grumbled. Gohan just chuckled.

"And mom told you not to ruin your dinner. I'm just lookin' out for you squirt." Goten grumbled some more, but said nothing as he shoved one of the cookies into his mouth petulantly. Big brothers could be such a pain some times. "Say, where d'you suppose Trunks is at?" Gohan suddenly questioned, puzzled look on his face as he glanced about the unusually empty house. "Usually he's waiting for us outside."

"Dunno," Goten answered absently, studying another cookie. "Maybe he's playing hide and seek?" Gohan thought on that for a second, then shrugged. Who was he to understand the mind of a ten year old?

"Well you two have fun. I gotta get back home and start studying for my college math exam next week."

Goten accepted his older brother's ruffling of his hair with a minor scowl, then returned the salutation and watched Gohan leave before turning back into the house. He reached up absently to scratch at the back of his head—oblivious to just how much he resembled his wayward sire at that very moment—as he considered the seemingly deserted main room in front of him. Where could everybody be? More importantly, where was Trunks? He was sure Mrs. Briefs or Ms. Bulma would have remembered to tell him that he was coming over.

Oh well, standing here wondering wasn't doing any good. He might as well just start looking. Goten quickly exhausted the usual suspects, such as the game room and Trunks' bedroom. The bathroom was empty too. Just when Goten was starting to get really scared—what if the Buu monster came back and turned everyone into candy bars and ate them!—then he caught a flash of something while passing by a window. He quickly back-peddled, then leaned forward to take a closer look. He grinned with relief. There he was!

Trunks was sitting outside, near to the gravity room in the shade.

Goten rushed out, skipped down the steps, then darted across the yard. "Hey Trunks! Hey, whatcha doin? Hey . . ." Goten hesitated upon nearing his best friend, his smile of greeting falling away into a look of uncertainty. Trunks hadn't even looked up at his approach, staring down at the grass near his feet with a blank expression on his face. Goten bit his lip. "What . . . what's the matter Trunks?"

Trunks sniffed suspiciously, then reached up and wiped his nose and eyes across his sleeve.

"Nothin' Goten," he mumbled. Goten frowned.

"Something's gotta be the matter. Else how come you're sitting out here all by yourself?"

All of a sudden Trunks straightened. Goten started a little, stunned to see tears glittering in his eyes. He was also a little shocked to see his furious expression, his blue eyes narrowed onto him.

"Oh shut up Goten! What do you know anyway!" Before an indignant Goten could respond, Trunks angrily continued. "Your life is so good and perfect! Your mom and dad never fight! Your dad actually shows you affection and you have an older brother to hang out with! You don't know anything!"

"I do too know stuff!" Goten protested angrily. "And my life isn't perfect either! My mom and dad never fight because my dad is never home!" That set Trunks back a little, and he blinked, stunned. Goten scowled, his own tears welling. "My dad would rather train that kid Uub than stay home with us. Gohan says he got hit on the head when he was a baby." Goten's lip began to tremble. "I think my dad's retarded!"

Trunks winced as Goten began to cry in earnest, then got to his feet and somewhat awkwardly patted him on the back.

"Aw, c'mon Goten, don't be such a big baby. You don't have to cry. I'm sure your dad isn't really retarded. Maybe just . . . a little slow?"

Goten sniffed a little, then got his emotions under control again. He shrugged miserably at Trunks' statement. "They're the same thing, aren't they?"

Trunks couldn't reply to that, just sighed heavily. "So you've been having problems at home, huh?" Goten nodded and Trunks scowled. He kicked at a rock near-by, watching dispassionately as the piece of stone launched off into the distance faster than a bullet. "Me too. Ever since the Buu monster was killed, my mother and father haven't been the same. I dunno how it works at your house, but here my mother and father always go to sleep together in the same room. They even took naps a lot during the daytime. But now . . ." He turned to glare at the gravity chamber beside them, kicking ineffectually at the steel reinforced wall. "Now father barely comes out of there. Mother hardly ever leaves her lab. And when they do come near each other all they do is scream and fight."

"My dad hardly ever comes home, he's always at Kami's Lookout training Uub. All my mom does is cry," Goten finished. Trunks clenched his fists.

"How the heck did things turn out this way, Goten? I mean, we're the good guys! Aren't we supposed to live happily ever after and stuff?! We beat the bad guys didn't we?! What more do they want from us?!"

Goten frowned, puzzled, staring at his friend who had both fists shaking in the air as if scolding the heavens. "Uh . . . wh-who is _they, _Trunks?" The lavender-haired boy paused, then groaned and dropped his arms back to his side, rolling his eyes.

"It was just an _expression_, Goten. Ugh, never mind. The important thing is that we figure out what went wrong and _fix _it."

"But how?" was the younger Son's next most logical question. Unfortunately the smarter of the two boys didn't have a ready answer for it.

"I dunno, but I know where we're gonna go to find out!" At Goten's clueless expression, Trunks grinned mischievously in a look that would have done his father proud. "When there's a problem with fate, you go to a higher power. We're headed to Kami's Lookout. We're gonna go right to the source and ask Dende what's what."

Goten's eyes were wide before the end. "Kami's Lookout? Really?"

Trunks nodded, confident. "Yup. C'mon Goten. If we hurry, we should be able to get there and be back in time for dinner."

Trunks shot up into the air, hovering for a moment and waiting for his friend to catch up.

"But won't your mom be angry that we left all by ourselves?" Trunks sneered as he turned and they both shot off into the distance in a blast of ki.

"Are you kidding me?" he snarled. "They won't even notice us missing Goten. Mark my words. We'll be back long before any of them even have a clue that something's up."


	2. Chapter 2 : Black Star Dragonballs

**Chapter Two**

_Black Star Dragonballs_

Trunks and Goten, both with the potential to reach Super Saiyan Level 3, made quick work of the upper atmosphere and landed on the top of Kami's Lookout in less than an hour. The two mite-sized half-Saiyans made their way down the front walk lined with trees. Trunks walked with a bit more confidence and purpose, while Goten pressed his fingers together as he trailed along after, somewhat uncertain.

"I dunno about this Trunks, this is where my dad is at. What if he catches us and makes us go home?" Trunks scoffed however fearlessly.

"Are you kidding me Goten? You said so yourself, your dad is practically retarded. How hard can it be to fool _him?_ If he asks we'll just lie and say our moms let us come." Goten scowled.

"Quit calling my dad retarded," he insisted angrily. It was one thing for _him _to speculate on the stability of his father's intellect, but quite another to allow someone else to smear his name. "And I don't know about this lying thing Trunks, I've never been very good at it—,"

"Then just shut up and let me do the talking Goten!" Trunks snapped, effectively cutting his friend up short. Goten pouted, but didn't reply. Both boys made their way to the front doors, but after knocking they got no response.

"Huh, maybe nobody's home?" Goten mused aloud. Trunks however scowled.

"No, they're here. I can feel massive energy levels inside that other big room over there." Goten turned to where Trunks pointed and nodded.

"Yeah, that's the Hyperbolic Time Chamber. That's where my dad trains Uub."

"So Dende and that Popo guy have to be around here somewhere. C'mon!"

Trunks reached up and using a slight grimace and a bit of his Saiyan strength, he forced the massive red doors open. Goten followed after him a little more hesitantly, but helped in closing the door before both boys turned to stare around them. The doors had led into a massive hallway lined with pillars and topiary. It was otherwise empty, so they started forward, staring around them curiously.

Soon they came upon an antechamber, a large circular room with a huge pedestal in the center, draped with what looked like a ratty pink cloth. "I wonder what that is?" Goten mused in a whisper. Trunks continued to stare silently, then shook his head.

"No idea. Let's go take a closer look."

His curiosity getting the better of him, Goten made no protest as the two half-Saiyans crept closer. The massive pedestal was several feet taller than they were, so as they neared they were forced to levitate off the ground. Once they did, they blinked, surprised.

Seven fist-sized white rocks sat on the pedestal. Goten put his hands behind his head, confused. "Rocks? How come they have rocks on a pedestal?"

Trunks however had narrowed his eyes on the display, suspicious. "I don't think these are rocks, Goten. Look, they're perfectly round." He had inherited his mother's inability to leave any puzzle unsolved. Therefore after only a moment he carefully reached out and then tentatively touched one of the stones. They were warm to the touch, but otherwise harmless. So he reached out more confidently and then picked one up. It was surprisingly light. Goten came closer to peer over his shoulder as Trunks shifted the strange stone in his hand. He gasped as—when he did so—his hand was covered in thick dust and the true color of the object in his hand was revealed to be a fiery orange.

"It's not a rock, it's just really dirty!" Trunks exclaimed excitedly, using an edge of the cloth on the pedestal to wipe away the grime. After he did so, both boys gasped in stunned awe at what was revealed. "These aren't rocks Goten, they're Dragonballs!"

Both boys stared down at the fist-sized gem, and the three black stars within.

"Aren't the stars supposed to be red?" Goten questioned. Trunks shrugged.

"I dunno . . . maybe these are _super _Dragonballs!" Both grinned at the possibility. Trunks chuckled. "Well there's only one way to find out! C'mon, help me get these things cleaned up."

Both quickly rubbed and dusted off the remaining six balls, until they all gleamed dully in the poor light. Trunks gazed down at their bounty with glee, but Goten's eyes were caught by something suspicious on the pedestal. When he inched closer to see, his eyes widened and he quickly jumped away. He jostled his friend, who immediately turned around and delivered a swift punch to the arm in retaliation.

"Geez Goten, watch where the heck you're goin!" Goten however was staring white-faced at the pedestal, pointing with a shaking finger. Trunks immediately stiffened with alarm. "What is it?"

"T-T-T-Trunks, th-there's _dead people _on that thing!"

Trunks scowled, but crept nearer to see what his friend was talking about. His eyes widened at the sight of several skeletons littering the bottom of the column. He made a face, then backed away. "Gross! What kind of freak does that anyway?" He shivered in disgust, then shrugged and turned back to the Dragonballs—their true purpose. "Okay Goten, it's time to summon the dragon!"

Goten tapped at his chin. "But Trunks, what are we gonna wish for?" The lavender-haired boy hesitated, then visibly deflated.

"I dunno . . . but we'll figure that out later." Trunks extended his hands toward the now-glowing balls, grinning. "Mighty Shenron, I Trunks, Prince of all Saiyans, summon you! Come forth, dragon!"

Immediately the sky outside went dark. Both boys cringed as the Dragonballs erupted in light, and a beam of energy shot out and above them. The light twisted and swirled up and up, and then took on an undeniable draconic look. Soon a massive red form hovered above Kami's Lookout. The boys stared out at the huge dragon's face that lowered down in front of them.

"Why have you summoned me?" the deep, powerful voice demanded. Trunks opened his mouth to speak, but before he could do so, another voice overrode his own.

"Boy! What in the _hell_ do you think you are doing!?"

Trunks "eeped," then both boys spun about to see their worst nightmare standing on the open terrace, expression furious.

"Oh no Trunks, it's your dad!"

"No duh, Goten!" Trunks snapped angrily, gazing up at his infuriated father. He searched frantically for some excuse to give, though a part of him knew it was useless. He might've been able to bluff Goten's clueless father, but his own was razor sharp and just as devious as he imagined himself to be. There was no fooling Vegeta.

"Answer me, boy," Vegeta growled, coming forward. "What is the meaning of this?"

Before Trunks was forced to come up with a retort, yet another voice sounded out.

"What's going on in here guys?" The three of them turned to see Goku—followed by an uncertain Dende, Mr. Popo and Uub—make his way inside. Goku blinked in surprise. "Goten? Trunks? What on earth are you guys doing way up here?"

"Apparently summoning a dragon, you idiot," Vegeta cut in sharply. The others gasped. "What I want to know is why."

Trunks clenched his fists, suddenly as furious as his father was.

"We came here to talk to Dende," he announced, voice trembling. The Namekkian in question was startled to hear this, but Trunks continued before anyone else could say anything. "We wanted to ask him why you and mother can't do anything but fight and scream at each other!"

That actually set Vegeta back a bit, eyes wide. "What . . ."

"Yeah, and why you can't ever stay home with us dad," Goten continued just as bitterly, causing Goku to gasp, "and why all mom ever does is cry herself to sleep at night."

"We want our happy ending, father," Trunks announced. "Dende's supposed to be the Guardian of the Earth right? He'll know how to fix things back to the way they were supposed to be!"

"We were looking for Dende and we just happened to find the Dragonballs on the way," Goten supplied off-handedly, almost as an after thought.

Vegeta didn't have much of a reply to that. How did one explain to a ten year old just why he was having problems with the boy's mother? It was a touchy subject to begin with, let alone trying to make Trunks understand. His and Bulma's relationship—if one could call it that—had never been the most stable of things in the first place. After his moment of weakness in allowing Bobbity to erase his conscience—and the subsequent attack and killing of several innocent people at the World's Strongest Martial Arts Tournament—things had seemed to go back to square one between them. After three years Vegeta was beginning to believe that the woman would probably never forgive him—or entirely trust him—ever again. That certainly wasn't something one could just blurt out to their son, however.

Meanwhile Goku was just plain confused. What was this about Chi-Chi crying herself to sleep? He knew she was upset about him training Uub, but surely she wasn't as bad off as all that? Didn't she understand that he had a duty to Uub? To make sure that he was trained properly, taught to use his power responsibly to _help _the world rather than destroy it as he was originally meant? As much as he loved Chi-Chi and his sons—and he did, with everything he had—Goku had to make sure he attended his responsibilities to the earth as well. Still, he didn't want to see his wife hurt if he could help it.

"Goten, Trunks, I understand you guys only wanted to help," Dende began, coming forward. "But that's no excuse to have summoned Shenron. Using the Dragonballs can be extremely dangerous, and these aren't just any ordinary Dragonballs. These are the Black Star Dragonballs, made when Kami and Piccolo were still one being. Who knows what the results could be?"

Trunks was scowling heavily before the end.

"What do you know about anything? Don't talk down to me like I'm just a stupid kid!"

"Trunks—!" Vegeta began to scold, but Trunks stood fearless in the face of his father's wrath for once.

"No! You don't understand anything! Neither of you understand! I wish you could just go back to being young again, then maybe you guys would understand just how hard it is for us! You _and_ mom!"

"And mine too!" Goten seconded, if just to show his support to his best friend. At first, no one understood exactly just how life-altering that statement was. That is until a,

"Your wish has been granted," sounded out in the air around them. Everyone gasped, eyes wide, at Shenron's announcement.

Then Goku and Vegeta both suddenly lifted up off the ground. Trunks and Goten watched, unable to speak or move, as their fathers began glowing with an eerie energy. Both yelled out at the power that suddenly infused their bodies. Before their eyes, both Vegeta and Goku began to regress in age and appearance.

"Oh . . . crap," Trunks whispered, watching as his father's body mass shrunk considerably.

Vegeta's tank top and jeans were burned away and he let out a loud yell as his tail spontaneously regenerated. It twitched and waved erratically behind him with his distress. The Saiyan Prince's black hair slowly grew out to his former flame-style flare. In the next instant his body was incased once again in a long-sleeved blue battle suit, complete with white chest armor, boots and gloves.

Meanwhile Goku was going through a similar transformation. His body mass shrank as well and his light-blue shirt and orange gi pants disintegrated a second before his tail grew back with a screaming flourish. His hair style didn't change much, but when his clothes reappeared he was wearing his old orange fighting gi with the symbol on his back proclaiming him to be a student of the Turtle Hermit Master Roshi.

Then the mysterious energy dissipated and both men fell back to the ground and hit their hands and knees. At the same time the Dragonballs rose into the air and—after the massive dragon disappeared and the sky returned to normal—shot off into seven different directions.

No one made a sound at first, save for Goku and Vegeta gasping for breath. Slowly, Vegeta was the first to recover. He haltingly straightened, staring down at his hands in utter disbelief, his left eye now covered in a ruby red scouter. Very slowly, he lifted his gaze from his hands to pin them instead on his wide-eyed, stricken son. "What . . . have . . . you . . . _done?!" _he snarled in between gasps for breath, his volume slowly increasing to the level of a dull roar by the end. Trunks cringed, then began hiccupping a little for breath, blue eyes tearing up.

"I . . . I-I . . . we didn't mean for . . . I-I'm sorry father—,"

"You're _sorry?!" _Vegeta sneered, getting unsteadily to his feet. Even his voice had changed, noticeably less deep and laced with a slight, foreign accent. For now, instead of nearly sixty years old, the Saiyan Prince looked no older than eighteen.

For Dende, the man looked far too frighteningly similar to the monster he'd first met on Namek all those years ago.

Vegeta's tail lashed once, then entwined around his narrow waist before he began stalking in the direction of the two cowering boys.

"Vegeta, wait," Dende called somewhat nervously. "D-don't be too hasty."

"Hasty?" the youthful prince demanded in a snarl. "My own flesh and blood attacks me with a dragon's wish, _quartering _my strength in the span of seconds, and you don't want me to be _too hasty?!" _Trunks seemed to shrink with every word his father spoke. By the time Vegeta neared, the boy was visibly crying, cringing and clearly expecting the worst. Goten stood near his friend, staring up with wide and terrified eyes at the man who had become a stranger in the span of a heart beat.

"I just wanted us to be happy again," Trunks sobbed miserably, hiccupping.

That stole most of Vegeta's fire. He slumped, glaring down at his errant offspring for a moment before spinning about and firing off a ki blast that demolished a good section of the room with a snarl of pent up frustration. Behind him, Trunks let out a deep sigh of relief.

Better the pillars than him.

"Aw, ease up Vegeta," Goku suddenly called, his own voice an octave or two higher than it had been. He regained his feet with a shaky laugh, wobbling a little unsteadily at first but quickly regaining his bearings after only a moment.

"Ease up? How can you be so cavalier about this Kakkarott? We've been regressed back into our _teens!" _

"Yeah, it's actually kinda cool!" Everyone else in the room sweat-dropped in disbelief. Goku just chuckled. "Really, it's no big deal Vegeta." He did a few stretches, shifting from side to side and working out the kinks in his back from his tail, which waved behind him excitedly. "All we gotta do is go gather the Dragonballs," he reassured cheerfully, "and wish ourselves back to normal. No biggie." He straightened then, fists on his hips, and flashed his former adversary a bright grin. "Besides, being young again might be fun!"

"Hmph, speak for yourself," Vegeta muttered, reaching up to pull off the scouter still affixed to the side of his face. He stared down at it for a moment, his expression haunted, as if he relived very bad memories from the time he was eighteen for real and still under the oppressive boot of Frieza. Then the Saiyan Prince scowled and crushed the scouter in his fist, ignoring the smoke and crackle of electricity.

"Um, I-I'm afraid it's not that simple Goku," Dende was forced to insert, wincing when the still furious Vegeta pinned his gaze on the Guardian along with a confused Goku.

"Wha'dya mean Dende?" he questioned, quickly followed by Vegeta's demand of,

"Explain yourself Namekkian!"

"W-well, normally when the Dragonballs are used, they scatter all across the Earth. But these aren't the normal Dragonballs. When the Black Star Dragonballs are used, they scatter out across the entire Galaxy! The Dragonballs could be anywhere in the whole Milky Way!"

Goku blinked, Vegeta snarled unintelligently, Trunks put his head in his hands and groaned while Goten winced with a faint, "oops."

"Well . . . why don't you just find the regular Dragonballs and wish yourselves back to normal using them?" Uub suggested suddenly, speaking for the first time since entering the room. Goku brightened, but Dende shook his head again.

"Won't work. The Black Star Dragonballs are far and away more powerful than the ones that I created. They'd never be able to override a wish made on the Black Star balls." Trunks and Goten shrank down a little further.

"Well . . . it's not so bad," Goku announced after a moment of silence, his ever cheerful outlook coming to the fore. "I guess we'll just grow up eventually."

"I'm afraid that's not an option either, Goku," a new voice suddenly called in the minds of everyone present. Everyone save Goku looked appropriately startled. Goku, having experienced this before, was unfazed. He grinned instead.

"Hey, King Kai! Is that you?" Far away on Otherworld, the blue Kai promptly responded.

"It sure is Goku. The one and only."

"Well what did you mean by what I said not being an option?" he quickly demanded, fists going behind his head as he rested his weight on one leg and struck his now-famous pose.

"Well, the problem is the Black Star Dragonballs' power. They're fueled by the life-force of the planet! The Earth cannot exist without them. You have no choice but to retrieve the Dragonballs and return them to Earth, or the planet will explode in only one year's time!"

Everyone gasped, stunned. Trunks groaned pitiably. "Oh, come on! All this because of one stupid accident wish?!" Goten sighed.

"I guess this means we're grounded, huh."

"Oh that will be the very least of your worries," Vegeta snarled, and even Goku didn't speak up to refute that prediction.


	3. Chapter 3 : Repercussions

**Chapter 3**

_Repercussions_

Everyone in the room turned as Gohan suddenly rushed in, out of breath and wide-eyed.

"Dad! Dad! You gotta come home quick, something's wrong with mo . . . _what the hell?!" _he abruptly cut himself off, indulging in a bit of rare cursing as he skid to a stop and stared at the younger versions of Goku and Vegeta. He gestured vigorously, expression frantic. "What the heck is going _on _around here?! First mom, now you guys too?!"

Goku immediately tensed, all silliness disappearing from his expression. He leveled hard eyes on his son, only slightly less intimidating now coming from the fresh face of an eighteen year old. "What's wrong with Chi-Chi, Gohan? Is she hurt?"

"N-no, not exactly," he answered, now completely flustered. "She's just really scared. She was in the middle of washing the laundry, then all of a sudden she got seized by this weird power, and now she . . . well she looks like you. Why in the heck are you both younger than me?"

"Oh no!" Goku exclaimed, turning to the others. "The wish! It must have regressed Chi-Chi and Bulma back in age as well! They must be scared out of their minds!"

Gohan frowned. "Wait, what wish?"

Vegeta was already blasting into the air, his wide-eyed son tucked underneath one arm.

Goku turned to Dende and Uub. "Guys, I'll be in touch. I gotta get home and check on Chi-Chi." He turned to his younger son. "Come on Goten." The boy in question hesitated, clearly frightened. Goku sighed. "I'm not angry, Goten. A little disappointed maybe, but I'm not mad at you." Somehow with the way his father said it, _disappointed_ sounded even worse than angry. He hung his head, but came forward as he was bade. Goku made quick work of scooping him up, then turned to Gohan and nodded. "Let's go, son. I'll explain things on the way."

With that the two Sons took off in a blast of ki and headed for Mount Pazou.

* * *

Vegeta made quick work of getting back to Capsule Corp. Trunks wisely kept silent, tucking his head into the crook of his father's neck to protect his eyes from the blast of wind. For all his outward calm, inwardly the Prince was still absolutely furious. As much as he wanted to take out that anger on the boy clinging to his armor however, he knew he couldn't. It was for the same reason he'd sacrificed himself against Buu three years ago, and later did everything in his power to help Goku defeat the menace. For, despite his every intention, a very large part of him was forever bound to this boy. His son. His legacy.

His eternal torment.

Vegeta scowled heavily as he topped out at nearly a quarter of his former speed of only ten minutes ago. Trunks had certainly outdone himself with this one. The lavender-haired scamp had a propensity to mischief and trouble, but this latest stunt really took the cake.

Back to being a teenager? Vegeta's first time around hadn't been anything close to pleasant. Enslaved by that monster Frieza, a Prince reduced to little more than a lackey. He'd been helpless to prevent countless tortures and humiliations from the gender-confused Icejin alien and his varied pets. No, his life had been a practice in surviving hell when he'd truly been eighteen. Vegeta was in no hurry to relive _those _memories.

Still . . . there was something to be said for having his tail back again, finally. That might be the only good thing he would get out of his entire fiasco. That and the knowledge that the state of things at home were not as fine as he had thought. Never would Vegeta have guessed that his and Bulma's constant friction was causing real hurt to the boy. They had always fought, after all. It had become almost a form of flirting between them, or at least it _had _been, before Majin Buu. Then the countless words and insults that had been thrown half in jest had suddenly become deadly serious with an aim that could cut straight to the bone. On both sides.

A very large part of Vegeta accepted that he deserved whatever punishment the woman wanted to give him. He had betrayed her, after all, betrayed the bond he had forged when he had made her his mate. It was this bond that held him to her side for three long years, even in the face of such venomous dislike. And it was this bond that powered his flight now as he roared through the Capsule Corporation compound and headed straight for where he knew his woman would be; her lab.

Vegeta let Trunks loose an instant before he burst through the door, his haste fueled by the sound of her terrified sobs, which his sensitive ears could easily discern.

"Bulma!" he yelled, eyes quickly scanning the room. Her desk was in a disarray, the lamp knocked off and laying askew on the ground nearby.

"Mother?" Trunks called soon after, voice trembling with uncertainty.

"He . . . he-help . . . " Vegeta whirled to the sound of a young female's voice, fear and pain evident in her tone. He zeroed in on the source, running around the desk. What he found was cause for him to halt soon after, eyes widening.

His woman sat on the floor at his feet . . . at least he _thought _it was her. He had already guessed what he might find, yet it was still a shock to see a young girl no older now than him crouched on the floor, blue eyes wide and tear-stained. Her blue-green hair sprouted off the back of her head from a bright red ribbon tied into a bow, the plaited braid swinging down past her shoulders. She was dressed in a pink dress of some sort, her name spelled across the front, and a pair of sneakers. Her scent was the same, younger, but this was definitely his Bulma.

Yet as soon as she caught sight of him, she let out a frightened shriek and cringed farther into the shelving at her back. "Oh Kami, please don't kill me," she whispered, eyes terror-filled.

Something inside of Vegeta shrank away and grew cold at that. After everything that had happened between them, after all that they had been through and overcome, she could still view him as he was now and honestly believe him capable of harming her. His fists clenched, and Vegeta took a step back, his face hardening into a frighteningly familiar mask of cold, sneering hatred.

"Still as pathetic as ever. If you want to know what's going on, you have only to ask your son, woman. I have far more important things to do right now than to listen to your sniveling."

Bulma blinked, clearly shaken up and confused. Vegeta hardened his heart to it, turning on his heel and heading for the door.

"V-Vegeta, wait," she tried to call, but he pretended to ignore her and left the room entirely.

Back inside the lab, Bulma tried to get herself under control. The whole world had gone sideways it seemed, and she was still struggling to catch her bearings. Why had she suddenly regressed back into the body of a teenager, and why did Vegeta look like he'd just landed on Earth?

She put her face in her hands, still shaking. _Kami, I haven't seen him get that look in years. Why does everything always have to go wrong between us?_ First she had let her hurt and sense of betrayal sour what little affection they'd managed to create, now this. She hadn't meant to treat him that way, it had just been such a shock, seeing him as he had been all those years ago when he'd first came to Earth with every intention of killing all of her friends. She'd just reacted. And badly, as usual.

"M-mother?"

Bulma straightened at the sound of Trunks' voice. He stood near-by, looking very frightened and uncertain. Her first impulse was to comfort him, yet something Vegeta had said suddenly occurred to her and she frowned. Yes, she might be stuck in the body of an eighteen year old, but she was still a mother. And her son was looking decidedly guilty right now.

"Trunks," she growled in her most intimidating mother-tone, "just what exactly is going on here, mister?"

* * *

Goku and Gohan landed just outside of their home only minutes later. Goku hurried around the house, heading for the laundry line, his two sons trailing after.

"Chi-Chi? Honey, are you ok?" he called tentatively. He'd been married to the woman long enough to know how she was probably going to react. He had missed her crying, frightened stage. If he guessed right, he had probably arrived just in time for her spitting mad stage.

Only his super-honed instincts saved him from getting hit in the head by the laundry tub. He nimbly ducked the wooden vessel, though wincing as his sensitive eardrums were then blasted by her scream of rage—slightly more high-pitched now due to her younger body.

"Just what in the hell is going on here, Goku?! What's happened to me?! This is all your fault isn't it!"

Goku blinked, straightening to get his first good look at his new wife. She stood with her feet planted wide, fists at her sides and scowl on her face as if preparing to fight. Inwardly that made him smirk. Still his little warrior princess. She even looked the part again, dressed in her old blue fighting dress trimmed in red and baggy white gi pants, wide red sash around her tiny waist and matching wrist guards on her arms. Her long black hair was pulled back from her face in a tail that reached her lower back with a thick red band, her bangs falling straight to her eyebrows and those two tendrils framing her cheeks as always. She looked like she had when they had first gotten married, her face devoid of those little worry lines that had begun to mar her skin and her ink black hair missing those tendrils of silver at her temples.

Never one for subtlety or finesse, Goku reached back behind his head and smiled. "Wow Chi, you sure look good."

Instead of smiling at his compliment, his wife tensed, then Goku blinked in surprise and confusion when her big dark eyes suddenly flooded with tears.

"Is that what this is about?" she whispered, and Goku was startled to hear real anguish in her voice. Far worse than her usual, screaming tears—this quiet hurt cut him straight to the bone. "Was I getting too old and ugly for you Goku? You had to go make a wish on the Dragonballs so you could stand to be around me again?"

"What? No! Chi-Chi, it's not like that at all!" Her fists clenched until they shook, and she looked as though she would dearly have loved to plant her fist in his face. If it would have made her feel better, Goku would've gladly let her do it.

"Then what is it?" she demanded harshly. "People don't just get younger, Goku. Someone had to have done _something!" _

Goku and Gohan turned to look at Goten, who was looking as though he wanted to melt down into the dirt on the spot. He had been taught to own up to his mistakes though, so no matter how much he would have loved to stay silent, he forced his feet to creep closer, wringing his hands and hanging his head.

"It's my fault, mama," he murmured miserably.

"What?" Chi-Chi demanded, confused. Goten's breath hitched a little, tears forming.

"Me and Trunks went up to Kami's Lookout without your permission to go ask Dende how come you and Dad weren't happy like you were supposed to." That set her back, eyes wide, but Goten continued, oblivious. "When we got there Dende wasn't around, so we went looking for him. We found these Dragonballs instead, and summoned the dragon, but then Mr. Vegeta showed up and Trunks got mad. He accidentally wished for you guys to be young again, and then the Dragonballs flew away into the Galaxy." Goten had started crying in earnest by the end, and finished in a miserable wail, "_and now the Earth is gonna blow up in a year!"_

Chi-Chi just stared down at her youngest son, silent for several minutes, blinking in disbelief. Again, Goku's many years with the woman helped initiate his actions just in time, for as her eyes rolled back and she began to crumple to the ground he was quick to dart forward and catch her before she hit. He sighed, swinging her tiny body up into his arms, shaking his head. He nodded to his sons.

"Come on guys, let's go put her to bed. She probably won't wake up from this one for a few hours at least."

* * *

Goku made certain Chi-Chi was comfortable, tucking their blankets snug around her slender frame. He had sent Goten to his room and told him he wouldn't be having any dinner tonight—a harsh punishment indeed for any Saiyan—as he was sure Chi-Chi would have done if she was awake. She had always been better at disciplining their children than him. He was far too lenient, she said it often. He'd let her decide any other punishments their youngest would be receiving after she woke up.

The Saiyan warrior hesitated as he straightened, staring down at his unconscious wife, expression pained. He'd had no idea that she was so unhappy. The knowledge pained him, and shamed him as well. He was her husband, after all. That was one of his jobs, to make sure she stayed happy.

Chi-Chi had been very explicit in detailing all of his duties as a new husband on their wedding night, he now reminisced with a faint smile. He was supposed to make sure she stayed happy, comfortable and well protected, as well as do the same for any children they might have. Goku chuckled a little, remembering fondly how bright a red her cheeks had turned when she'd mentioned kids. Of course, back then he didn't understand just why that was. Or why she had to wear that sheer white silky thing to bed that for some reason had driven him to utter distraction, making his groin hurt with a strangely pleasant sort of pain.

As the night progressed though, and shy, uncertain touches turned more to heated and eager exploration, he would eventually understand all too well why the thought of conceiving children made his pretty little wife blush scarlet. Goku had found that he really enjoyed that whole part of being married, and set about repeating the process as often as he could manage.

His smiles faded as Goku realized now that he had failed her dismally. Over the years, he had begun to focus more on the protection part, and worried less and less about her well-being or comfort. He'd always just assumed Chi was happy, and rarely gave her a second thought. Guilt and shame burned his chest, and he absently raised his hand, rubbing ineffectually. She had been stuck up here in the mountains, with no one but their sons for company most of the time. Doing little more than cooking for and cleaning up after the three of them day in and day out, with no real life of her own.

Once upon a time, Chi-Chi Ox had been a princess, and the strongest female martial artist in the world. Now she seemed little better than an indentured servant. She had never seemed to begrudge her life before, though Goku had to admit to himself that he'd probably not been paying good enough attention. Good Kami, what if she resented marrying him?

Goku gasped, stunned at the amount of acidic pain that caused in the vicinity of his heart. It was true that when they'd first married, he really had no clue what it was he was doing or signing himself up for. He certainly had no real feelings for his new wife, save for respect as a fighter and affection as a friend. It hadn't taken him very long after his wedding night to understand how different a wife was from a friend though, and how different his feelings became for Chi-Chi than for Bulma, his longest-standing female friend.

Almost a year after they married, Goku—totally immersed in his passion and his feelings for the beautiful female beneath him—had been overcome by instincts he didn't understand and bit her on the neck hard enough to break the skin and draw blood during his climax. He hadn't known it then, but he'd learned later from Vegeta that he'd marked her that night, a Saiyan custom that proclaimed her to be his life mate. A physical manifestation of his feelings for her, a signal to all other males that would let them know that this female was his alone. Three months after that they'd learned that she was pregnant with Gohan.

Somehow he hadn't been at all surprised, and not just because he'd felt the ki coming to life inside her long before she got suspicious and went to see the doctor.

He'd only been moved to bite her one other time. The night before the Cell Games, Goku had sent Gohan and Piccolo away from the house and devoted his last hours to nothing else but loving his wife. The only difference had been that Goku had known exactly what he was doing then. Strongly suspecting that he wouldn't be coming home this time, Goku had wanted to give Chi-Chi something to hold in place of him, something to focus on other than the terrible grief she would feel at his passing.

He'd given her Goten.

Chi-Chi hadn't understood then what it meant. She'd complained sleepily afterward that if he was hungry she'd be more than happy to go fix him something, that he didn't have to take a bite out of _her_.

Goku had said nothing, just held her until she fell asleep, then used his Instant Transmission technique to rejoin Gohan and Piccolo in the wild. As he'd feared, he died in the fight and didn't see her again for seven long years.

Goku turned toward the door now when he felt another presence enter. He tried to summon up enough gumption to give a worried Gohan a reassuring smile.

"She'll be fine," he murmured to his first born, though inwardly he wasn't so sure. Gohan only smiled in return, and shook his head.

"I'm not so sure it's Mom I should be worried about. You don't look too good, Dad."

Goku just chuckled. Gohan was so smart, so different than him. It was Chi-Chi who should be thanked for that, insisting that their first son be given a proper education and not end up a clueless fighter like him. Now Gohan was fast on his way to graduating college and becoming a world-renowned scholar. He shook his head though. For as much as Gohan was smart and quickly becoming a man in his own right, he was still his son and Chi had taught him that there were just some things that kids didn't need to know about their parents.

"I'll be fine, son. I need to ask you a favor though," he suddenly murmured, a plan quickly forming in his mind.

"Sure, anything," Gohan was quick to reply. Again, Goku smiled, his pride for Gohan just as strong now as it had been the day he'd stepped up and defeated Cell all on his own. Obviously he must have done _something _right, for Gohan to have turned out so well.

"I'm going to need you to look after your brother for me for a while, and start packing for your mother. Anything she'll need on a long trip." Gohan blinked, stunned at that last part.

"Where's Mom going?"

"With me. We'll probably be leaving to go looking for the Dragonballs pretty soon, and it's likely we'll be gone for several months, maybe even most of the year. I'm going to head over to Capsule Corp. here in a bit to talk to Bulma and see what kind of space ships she has available."

"You're gonna take _Mom_ with you into _outer-space?"_ Gohan demanded, incredulous. "Uh . . . I-I'm not so sure Mom is gonna want to do that," he began, but Goku's expression became deadly serious and set in stone.

"I'm not leaving her behind, Gohan. Not this time."


	4. Chapter 4 : Journey Underway

**Chapter Four**

_Journey Underway_

"I really appreciate you and mom agreeing to watch Trunks for me while I'm gone, Dad," Bulma murmured as she oversaw the raising of the _C.C. Starflyer_ from the underground hanger bay up onto the flight deck. The elder Dr. Briefs just chuckled, adjusting his glasses as he stood next to her.

"As if we could say anything otherwise," he murmured. "The boy is our only grandson after all. You know your mother lives for spoiling that child." Bulma scowled.

"Well you just make sure she lays off the spoiling part for a while. I _mean_ it Dad," she continued at her father's chuckle. "He's not to come off of restriction for a month at least. No allowance, no video games, no TV, no visiting Goten. Nothing."

"I'll see what I can do. When do you estimate a launch?"

Bulma absently chewed on her lower lip, glancing down at her clipboard and her recent crop of plans and calculations. She shifted through her read-outs.

"I still have to do a complete systems check, confirm a flight plan and re-check the hull integrity. Not to mention recalibrating the hand-held Radar to recognize the Black Star Dragonballs' signatures, if we want to find them with any sort of speed or accuracy." Dr. Briefs just shook his head with a smile. At her questioning glance he sighed.

"Just seeing you like this, young and all fired up again. I haven't seen you this excited about a project in a long, long time, sweetpea. I think this trip will be very good for you."

Bulma absently reached up to pat her hair—which had been removed from that ridiculous braid and bow with all haste (honestly what _had _she been thinking?)—and put in a more professional French twist to be out of the way while she worked. She'd also quickly changed out of that silly pink dress, wearing a pair of heavy blue coveralls, the top folded down and the arms around her waist, revealing the plain white sleeveless Capsule Corp. T-shirt she wore underneath it. Still, the outfit looked quite different on the trim, slender body of an eighteen year old girl rather than a nearly fifty year old woman.

"I don't have a choice but to be dedicated to this project, Dad," she responded a little uncomfortably after a moment, turning back to watch the ship's docking bay lock into place with a loud thud. Even as she spoke, her sharp blue eyes watched the progress of her employees like a hawk, ready to correct any wrong move. "If Goku and I don't succeed in this the Earth will be destroyed in a year. I'd say that's a pretty good incentive."

"That's not what I meant, and you know it," Briefs returned and Bulma inwardly winced. Her father hesitated, then, "Is Vegeta going with you?" The heiress steeled her expression and her wounded heart, expression hardening.

"I have no clue Dad," she replied blandly. "I haven't seen hide nor hair of the _mighty_ Saiyan Prince in over a week. He could be dead for all I know. Or care," she added in a dark grumble.

"Bulma, that's no way to talk—," Dr. Briefs began to chastise, but Bulma turned to him with a black look.

"Don't patronize me Dad. I don't owe Vegeta anything. I mean, it's not as if we're married or anything," she added bitterly, not noticing that her hand had fallen down to the side of her neck, fingers rubbing at the faint scar that still marked her skin despite her youthful age. "Nothing was ever permanent between us. If he's finally decided to leave for good, so be it."

It was Dr. Briefs' turn to scowl. "You may not owe Vegeta anything, but you owe it to your _son _to do more than write his father off as a lost cause."

That hit a little too close to home, and Bulma quickly turned away, wrapping her arms around her middle. "Please dad," she whispered after a moment, eyes tearing. "I can't . . . I-I can't do this. Not right now." Her father sighed, then reached up to squeeze her shoulder affectionately.

"I know . . . that you and Vegeta haven't had it easy these past couple of years. I won't pretend to understand what it is that happened, and honestly I don't need to know. But I _do _know that you loved that man once," he added softly, and tried to ignore the tears that spilled loose from his daughter's eyes as he spoke. "And I know that that's not something you let go of so easy. Just . . . promise me you'll try to take steps to see this thing that's come between you two fixed. For Trunks' sake if for no one else. It hurts him to see you two so at odds, Bulma. This latest stunt was nothing but a huge cry for help, and you know it."

Bulma nodded, staring down with unseeing eyes at the ship, not trusting her voice to speak from the emotion clogging her throat. Her father patted her on the back for a moment, then sighed and turned back to business at hand. She was glad for it. She just couldn't handle the mess that her relationship with Vegeta had become. Her heart was still too raw.

"I hear Goku plans on taking Chi-Chi along for the ride," Briefs murmured. Bulma let out a shaky chuckle and nodded, and her father was kind enough not to call attention to her quickly reaching up and wiping the tears off her face.

"Yeah. She's not exactly thrilled by the idea, but I guess he's managed to convince her to go along with it."

"Will the ship be able to accommodate four passengers?" Bulma started to correct her father—there was no guarantee that they _would _have a fourth passenger—but she decided it wasn't worth the effort.

"It's true the _Starflyer _was designed to hold up to three comfortably, but if for some reason we do have another occupant, I'm pretty sure we can manage. After all, I'm sure Goku and Chi-Chi will be sharing a bed. If nothing else we could string up a hammock somewhere or something. We have more than enough storage capacity, especially if I just encapsulate all the luggage and extras and just leave out the essentials."

Dr. Briefs grinned. "That's my girl," he murmured, pride evident in his tone. "Every eventuality accounted for."

Bulma took the praise, turning back to her work and preparing to start the systems check on the ship. Inwardly she wasn't so sure about the truth of his words. After all, she had definitely not planned for the eventuality of being stuck on a space ship with her estranged significant other. She could only pray that Vegeta would opt not to come along. She just wasn't sure what would happen if they were forced to stay so close, with no way of getting away from each other.

They had started World Wars for less.

* * *

"Is that everything, Chi?" Goku questioned in a somewhat strained voice, staring around at all the luggage that his tiny wife had managed to pack with wide eyes.

It had taken some doing for him to convince her to come along, at first. After Chi-Chi awoke from her faint she had been inconsolable for quite some time. Goku knew that there wasn't anything he could do then, and forced himself to sit down in the living room in silence and listen to her quiet sobs above him. That had been a torture he wasn't looking forward to ever repeating. After she'd cried herself out, he'd begun working on convincing her to come with him into outer space.

Goku was dead set on making it up to her for his neglect of years past. There was no way he couldn't _not _go as she had originally demanded. He was not one to easily trust his fate into the hands of another. Yet he hadn't lied to Gohan when he'd said that he _would not _be leaving Chi-Chi behind this time. He explained away every excuse she came up with as to why she couldn't go—getting her father to agree to babysit Goten while they were away, finished the addition on the house she had been in the middle of in less than six hours and paid off Gohan's college tuition with what was left of his prize money from the last Tournament he'd won—then cajoled, pleaded and argued for two days straight until he'd finally gotten her to agree. Chi-Chi had kicked him out of the bedroom long before it was over, and was professing sourly to anyone who'd listen that her husband was kidnapping her.

Despite what she said, he could tell she was getting more than a little excited about the prospect of going with him on this latest adventure. There was a long-forgotten sparkle to her big dark eyes and a heightened color to her pale cheeks as she turned this way and that, surveying her handy work with a critical air.

Goku watched the fabric on her lavender dress stretch across her slender curves with an inward groan. He was never one to take being banished from the bedroom very well, as apparently Saiyans were rather lusty creatures by nature and for all his light-hearted goofiness, Goku was no different. Them both being young again only made the situation about ten times worse.

Chi had pulled her dark hair up into a more demure bun, though a part of him wished she'd let it down like she had when she really was eighteen. He'd always preferred her with her hair all loose and wanton and blowing in the breeze . . . .

Goku snapped himself out of his lusty daydreams before he made himself even more uncomfortable than he already was.

"I think this is everything. Bulma assured me that the ship would be fully stocked in food and cooking supplies, so I don't have to worry about that. She mentioned toiletries but I would just feel too weird using a toothbrush that someone else bought, so I went ahead and packed all of our things as well as plenty of clothes for any sort of weather. Bulma said that the ship as a fully automated washer and dryer as well as two full bathrooms and three bedrooms."

Goku winced. Looked like either him or Vegeta—possibly both—were going to be in the doghouse for a while. He prayed fervently that it wasn't him, though he felt a brief stab of guilt for wishing ill to the surly Saiyan Prince. Bulma hadn't mentioned that Vegeta would be coming with on the trip. In fact, according to Dr. Briefs, Vegeta had left Capsule Corp. shortly after the wish had been made and no one had seen or heard from him since. Goku wasn't concerned, however. He knew Vegeta too well. The Prince—like him—wouldn't be trusting his fate to anyone else but himself. Goku would only be surprised if Vegeta _didn't _show up at the launch.

"Well I guess that's it. If you're ready?" Chi-Chi sighed, glancing toward the front door, where Goten and Gohan had left only moments before with their Grandfather, Ox. Goku smiled. "Chi, they'll be fine. I promise." That caused her to scowl petulantly, crossing her arms.

"As if you knew that. You may be strong, Goku, but last I checked your awesome powers didn't include predicting the future." Goku said nothing to her ranting, knowing it was just her way of relieving her stress and fear. Instead he held his hand to her, making sure his foot was touching one of their suitcases—which were all touching or linked together one way or another.

Chi-Chi heaved another sigh, then finally stepped forward and let him take her hand. Goku did his best to ignore her stiffness—having one's wife of nearly twenty-five years act so skittish around you was hell on the ego—placing his free hand to his forehead, first two fingers extended. He closed his eyes and gritted his teeth in concentration. Instant Transmission had become a sight more tricky than it had been before. His younger body wasn't as experienced as it was before. He'd had to give several trial and errors before he'd perfected the technique again, and even now it could backfire if he wasn't especially careful. Last thing he wanted to do would be to transmission in the lake or something with Chi-Chi and all their stuff on board.

That would _really _put him in the doghouse.

Luckily he managed to transport them with no trouble. He heard Chi-Chi's faint gasp of surprise, and opened his eyes to see that he'd managed to bring them to the Capsule Corp. front lawn, right on target. Goku let Chi pull her hand away from his, instead turning to hail one of Bulma's many employees.

"Hey there, could you let Bulma know that Goku and Chi-Chi have arrived please?"

The man reached down and used the cell phone attached to his belt. After a short conversation, he motioned to several of his fellows.

"Right this way, son. Ms. Briefs has asked us to lead you to the docking bay. Preparations for the launch are almost complete. Here miss, let us get your things. Ms. Briefs has left instructions that everything is to be encapsulated to better fit on the ship."

Goku watched Chi-Chi start a little at being called a miss, smirking. She still wasn't used to being so young again. She let the men take their belongings without a fuss, then Goku followed after them quietly as they led the way through the compound. He found himself enjoying the gentle sway of her hips as she walked, though after he noticed some of the other workers enjoying it as much as he was, Goku scowled.

Before he had a chance to let himself get really worked up, they reached the docking bay and Bulma immediately came forward. Goku just shook his head at his longest friend. Seeing her like she was really brought back memories. He was just fourteen when she'd been this age. Though, like Chi-Chi, there was an older flair to her clothes and hairstyle now than there had been when she'd truly been eighteen.

Bulma wore her blue hair in a tight tail off the back of her head, held in place by a dark blue scrunchi. The hairpiece matched the tank top she wore, underneath a cropped short-sleeved yellow jacket. Her jeans where white, her boots dark blue. She hesitated to give instructions to the men carrying their luggage, then she waved to them with a smile and approached.

"Hey, you guys! We're almost set to go. T minus 20."

"Great," Goku returned cheerily. Chi-Chi smiled a little hesitantly, but said nothing.

"If you want to go ahead and go inside and get yourselves strapped in. I'll be along in just a sec, I have to make some last minute adjustments."

Chi-Chi took a deep breath—shoring up her courage—then started for the ship. Goku hesitated.

"Hey Bulma, where's Vegeta? Isn't he coming?" He took note of Bulma's tightened expression, but she shrugged.

"I honestly don't think he's coming, Goku. I haven't seen him all week."

"I bet you'd like that wouldn't you," came a familiar growl. Bulma gasped and whirled, eyes wide and maybe even a little afraid, while Goku just turned and grinned.

"I knew you couldn't stay away."

The younger Vegeta was strolling in their direction, holding a duffle slung over one shoulder. The Prince was dressed now in a sleeveless black turtleneck with a pair of snug navy blue pants and black boots.

"Hmph," was Vegeta's only response, walking right past them toward the ship without even so much as a glance in Bulma's direction. Goku winced, then sighed at how pale his friend became. Yet she quickly recovered, straightening with a jerk and putting on her best game face.

"Ok Goku, get on board. Tell the others to get in the cockpit and strap themselves in. I'll get everything squared away out here."

Knowing he couldn't do anything about Bulma and Vegeta's problems—heck, he had enough of them himself with Chi-Chi as it was—he turned as she'd told him and headed for the ladder that would lead up into the ship.

It was a lot larger than the one he'd gone to Namek in, though not as large as Frieza's flagship. Goku made his way through what looked to be a recreation room, passing by several doors until he came to the very front of the ship. The cockpit actually had five seats, which he briefly found odd since there was supposed to be room for just four on board. Vegeta was already strapping himself into the one on the far left. Chi-Chi stood on the other end of the cockpit, watching him with uncertain and untrusting eyes. Goku sighed inwardly. Chi had never liked or trusted Vegeta much. He silently prayed that they wouldn't be fighting with each other the entire trip. It was going to be rough enough with Vegeta and Bulma stuck so close together in such a confined space.

"C'mon Chi, time to get strapped in. Bulma says we'll be lifting off soon."

"What about our things?" she demanded, not budging. Goku shrugged.

"Bulma's taking care of it. They're putting them in capsules, remember?" Her eyes widened.

"I don't want total strangers touching my stuff! What if they steal something?! We'll be half-way to Saturn before I notice anything missing!"

"I'm sure no one's going to steal any of our stuff," Goku assured blandly, rolling his eyes heavenward. Oh how much more simple would his life be if his wife didn't feel the need to get argumentative and difficult whenever she was upset or scared. He heard Vegeta chuckling nastily in the background, but strove to ignore him for now. Goku merely frowned and promised himself an especially hard left hook the next time they sparred.

After a bit more cajoling, Goku managed to convince Chi-Chi to sit down and buckle the safety straps. He took the seat next to her, leaving the one up front to Bulma. She'd no doubt be driving them.

Moments later Bulma suddenly entered and made quick work of strapping herself in to the driver's seat. She didn't even glance in Vegeta's direction, forcefully ignoring him. Goku let out another sigh.

This was shaping up to be a _long_ journey, and they hadn't even gotten started yet!

Bulma flipped several switches, then imputed something into the control panel. Then she flipped another switch. "Control, this is the _Starflyer. _Do you read?"

"Loud and clear, Ms. Briefs," came an unfamiliar voice through the speakers. The board is green. You are go for launch, I repeat, you are a go."

"Copy that," Bulma replied, voice steady despite the massive amount of computer and machinery she was manipulating with every flick of her fingers. "Initiating launch sequence. Ignition in 5, 4, 3, 2, 1—," she pressed the large red button to her left, and then Goku instinctively tensed as the engine beneath them roared to life. "Lift off!" she cried as the ship began doing just that, with a thundering roar. Bulma was tensed, fingers flying across the keyboard and eyes locked onto her on-screen readouts. Chi-Chi was clenching the armrests of her chair in a death grip, eyes wide and face pale. Goku was beyond excited, grinning as he watched the ground slowly disappear below.

The only one who remained unaffected was Vegeta, who had his arms crossed and stared blankly as the blue sky slowly disappeared, replaced with the blackness of space.

Then again, Vegeta had probably lifted off and landed so many times on a ship in his lifetime, this was nothing new.

Bulma eased them out of Earth's orbit, then quickly set in their course. The Dragon Radar was giving off faint signals, and she hoped the closer they got it would give a more definite reading. After she'd set everything up, she turned her chair around to face her passengers.

Not surprisingly, Vegeta was already unbuckling his safety harness. He got to his feet, turned and stalked out of the room before she even had the chance to open her mouth. Bulma scowled at his back, but decided to let it go for now.

"Okay guys, it's safe to get up and move around now. I had my men put your things in room 3. I'm in room 1. Goku, if you want, the lower deck is outfitted in a gravity simulator to help you train. Good luck getting Vegeta out of it, though," she added somewhat snidely.

Chi-Chi rolled her eyes and got to her feet, giving her grinning husband a sour look. "Oh, how fitting. We finally go on a trip together in years and the first thing that runs across your mind is training." Bulma winced, and so did Goku as the dark-haired girl stalked from the cockpit and headed for the bedrooms. "Why does that not surprise me?" she continued to growl to no one in particular.

"Aw, c'mon Chi!" Goku groaned, quickly getting up to follow after her. "You know that's not fair!"

Bulma just shook her head with a sigh. Looked like she wasn't the only one with relationship problems.


	5. Chapter 5 : Bunk Mates and Girl Talk

**Chapter 5**

_Bunk Mates and Girl Talk_

Goku released a miserable sigh, exiting the room with his suitcase in one hand and a hammock in the other. So much for _that _idea. Chi-Chi wanted nothing to do with sharing a bed with him right now, mores' the pity. So it looked like he was going to be rooming with Vegeta for the time being. Goku winced as he approached the door behind which the Saiyan Prince had claimed as his own.

This wasn't going to be pleasant.

Goku knocked on the door, and waited only a moment before it was thrown open gruffly. Vegeta stuck his head out, took one look at Goku and what he held, then burst out laughing. Goku's cheeks colored with embarrassment, but he scowled. "Ok Vegeta, ha-ha. Very funny. Now can you let me in please?"

"No way in hell, Kakkarott," he growled half-way good-naturedly after he'd gotten himself back under control. "I'm not sharing my living space with a third-class clown."

"But there's no where else for me to sleep!"

"Then I suggest you either buck it up to your mate or start groveling, because you aren't sleeping here!"

Goku shook his head. "You don't understand Vegeta. Once Chi gets something into her head, there's no changing it. She's gonna have to have a few days to calm down. So it's either I sleep here, or I go down the hall and sleep with Bulma."

In the next breath Goku found himself pinned up against the wall, a furious Vegeta's forearm buried into his throat. It was all he could do not to chuckle, and ruin everything. For all his frightening strategic brilliance, Vegeta was so easy to maneuver sometimes, especially when it came to Bulma.

"You've got some nerve, Kakkarott," he snarled, onyx eyes narrowed into furious slits.

"Oh c'mon Vegeta," Goku wheezed, deciding he'd better go ahead and correct the Prince's misunderstanding before he really started getting bent out of shape. He'd hate for the ship to become damaged if they started having it out. "Bulma's like family to me. Having sex with her would be like having sex with my own sister. Not to mention that I'd never cheat on Chi-Chi." Vegeta scowled at him a moment more, then let loose another growl before letting him go with a jerk. Goku coughed and wheezed a bit, rubbing at his sore neck. He took note of Vegeta's continued look of suspicion however, even as the prince crossed his arms and gave his usual haughty scowl.

No doubt Vegeta was having a hard time imagining anyone considering the mother of _his_ son nothing more than a sisterly figure.

Just as Goku had hoped. Not only did it serve his purpose of getting a place to sleep tonight, but it also inadvertently confirmed his suspicion that—despite Vegeta's recent actions and attitude—the Saiyan Prince still cared for Bulma and still considered the Capsule Corporation President his mate. The knowledge would make Goku feel less guilty about playing shameless matchmaker later on. Next to eating and fighting, that was one of his favorite hobbies.

"Well, look, if you don't want me bunking up with Bulma, my only other option is to sleep in here with you." At Vegeta's sour look of disapproval, Goku quickly added, "I'll put up the hammock over there in the corner and you won't even know I'm here. Promise."

Vegeta considered him for a moment more, then—to Goku's faint surprise—moved to the side and allowed him in, giving in a lot quicker than he would've expected. The reason why was revealed, however, as he quickly snapped, "fine, you can sleep here. _If _you spar with me in the gravity simulator."

Remembering the left hook he owed the Saiyan Prince, Goku grinned eagerly. He set his suitcase and hammock down in his designated corner, then turned back with a laugh. "Whatever you say, Vegeta. We gotta stay in our normal forms though. If we go Super we could possibly damage the ship. Then we'd _really _be in hot water."

Vegeta's only response was his raspy chuckle as he led the way out of the room and toward the gravity chamber in the lower levels of the ship.

* * *

Chi-Chi bit her lip, staring at her reflection in the mirror of her bathroom. It was still so surreal to her, to see her face of nearly thirty years ago staring back at her. She still woke up expecting this all to be some strange, surreal dream. This sort of thing wasn't supposed to happen to her. She was just the house wife. Sure, once upon a time she might've hoped for something more. Yet Chi-Chi had given up on those dreams a long time ago. And now this. Being young again only put salt in the wounds, ones she thought she had finally put behind her and forgotten for good.

Add on to that the fact that her husband was only interested in her now because her boobs were no longer sagging and her wrinkles had disappeared, and it was shaping up to be a pretty rotten situation all the way around. It had to be the explanation. Goku had wanted almost nothing to do with her before, even her cooking had seemed to hold less and less appeal. All he thought about was training that boy Uub.

Now all of a sudden he was insisting she come with on this crazy adventure? Chi-Chi was confused and hurting, and right now she needed some space to figure things out. Which was why she had just kicked her husband out of her bedroom to go fend for himself with Vegeta, despite the now-very-familiar hungry look in his dark eyes. Yet she didn't want him wanting her because she was young again. Kami help her, Chi-Chi wanted Goku to want her because he _loved _her. Something she had never been very clear on, from the very beginning of their relationship.

Very soon after their marriage ceremony, it became apparent that Goku didn't feel for her what she had harbored for him all those years. That he in fact didn't even know what marriage was, thought it was a _food _for Kami's sake! She should've bowed out gracefully. But no. Chi-Chi had to be stubborn, just like she was with everything else. She had gotten it into her head at the age of twelve that she wanted to marry Goku, and like a pit-bull she'd clung to that dream in the face of all adversity, including the groom's complete cluelessness. Looking back, Chi-Chi began wondering if she had really been ready for something that huge.

She had only been nineteen after all, as was he. Had they really been ready for that kind of monumental step? She had _thought _that marriage to Goku was what she'd wanted, more than anything else in the world. She'd been willing to give up her life as a princess to marry a common man—albeit the strongest man in the world, which in and of itself came with certain perks—and live with him in a simple house deep in the woods of Mount Pazou.

No . . . she was still fairly certain that marriage to Goku was still what she wanted above all else. It was just that, in her girlish fantasies concerning her life, Goku would treasure her and their family above all else. Not run off at the first sign of adventure, abandoning her several times over the years to fend for herself and then expect her to just welcome him back with open arms whenever he decided to wander back into her life, sometimes after years at a time.

Chi-Chi sighed, scowling at her reflection. She would like to blame this recent fiasco for all of her problems, but the hard truth was that things had not been right in her home for a long, long time. That Goten had picked up on the tension and the unhappiness was proof in and of itself. She sighed.

There were times when she envied Bulma. For all that her Saiyan lover was a mass-murderer and a temperamental, arrogant jerk, at least Vegeta stuck around. It was more than she could say for Goku.

So where did she go from here?

Chi-Chi stared into her own eyes, searching for answers that were not readily available. Even if they succeeded, found the Dragonballs and the wish was reversed, what was she going to do? Return home to her kitchen and her laundry and pretend as though nothing had happened? She frowned. No . . . she couldn't do that anymore. She couldn't live that life anymore. She adored her children, and somewhere deep inside she was sure she still loved her husband.

Chi-Chi just didn't think she could live with loving him anymore. Loving a man like Goku was slowly killing her inside, bit by bit, with every time he forgot about her or broke promises in order to help others. Apparently she had ceased being as important to him. If she ever had been to begin with.

Perhaps it was time she cut them both loose from a thirty year old mistake.

Chi-Chi turned at a sudden knock at the door. She considered ignoring it for a moment—if it was Goku, she just didn't think she could deal with him right now, the wounds to her heart were too fresh—yet decided against that. It could be an emergency, and it probably wasn't Goku anyhow. He had Vegeta to train with now, for as long as he wanted. Chi-Chi bit her lip as tears swam before her eyes. He wouldn't even remember her until his stomach started growling.

She quickly dashed the moisture from her face, then reached over to press the button that would open the automatic door. To her relief, it was Bulma—not her estranged husband—standing on the other side. The blue-haired genius gave her a soft smile.

"Hey, you holding up ok?" Chi-Chi shrugged.

"As well as can be expected I guess. Is there anything I can do to help you out?"

"Well, I'm glad you asked, because actually there is," Bulma revealed with a laugh. "We're fully stocked with food, but unfortunately I'm not known as the best of cooks. Ah . . . I was kinda hoping you might help us out with that?"

Chi-Chi's smile was a touch on the bitter side. "Sure, Bulma. It seems that's just about all I'm good for nowadays anyway." She took a deep breath, and attempted to ignore Bulma's concerned look. "Which way is the kitchen?"

The C.C. President didn't budge, brow furrowed in concern. "I kinda got the feeling there might be some tension between you and Goku earlier, but I had assumed it was just the usual run-of-the-mill upset because of this wish. Are you . . . are you guys okay?"

A part of Chi-Chi wanted to snap that it was none of her business and to leave her alone. Yet Bulma had been one of her longest friends—her only female friend to be precise. The true concern in the woman's blue eyes was Chi-Chi's undoing. Tears gathered in her eyes, her expression crumpling.

"Oh Bulma, I don't think Goku and I have been okay for a very long time."

A few minutes later the girls found themselves in the kitchen area, steaming cups of tea between them as they shared everything that had happened to turn their lives so upside down on both sides.

Bulma winced. "Oh, Chi, I had no idea things had gotten so bad between you two. You always seemed so happy." The dark-haired girl shrugged.

"Looks can be deceiving I guess. How can I keep living with a man who would rather fight and train complete strangers rather than stay home with his family?"

Bulma's eyes were wide. "Are you . . . are you really considering divorce?" Chi-Chi fought back the emotional torrent that that word stirred up, yet she hardened her expression and her resolve.

"If that's what it takes to make the both of us happy again, then yes. It's apparent that Goku isn't really happy with me, else he would want to be around me more. And Kami knows I can't go on like I have anymore." Bulma shook her head, staring down at her tea cup.

"This is just so surreal. Never in a million years would I have thought that you and Goku wouldn't make it. I guess there's no real hope for any of us then," she added morosely.

"How long have you and Vegeta . . . ," Chi-Chi trailed off, uncertain how to word her question. Bulma smirked however, with very little humor to it, quickly understanding her meaning.

"I'll never understand why he did it. A part of me respects him for coming clean and telling the truth . . . but another part of me _hates _him for telling me." Now it was Bulma's turn to become teary-eyed. "If he had just kept his mouth shut, I'd have never known, and things would have stayed okay between us." Chi-Chi gasped, stunned.

"Vegeta cheated on you?" she demanded, incredulous. Bulma quickly shook her head however.

"No, no, no. Hell, I might've been able to deal with that easier. Kami knows I had enough experience with it when I was with Yamcha. Vegeta hasn't ever slept with another woman, at least he didn't before we split. I honestly have no idea whether he's gone to bed with anyone else these past three years. He certainly hasn't been with me." That stunned Chi-Chi, as it would anyone else.

It was no well kept secret that Saiyans could be a rather lusty lot, and Vegeta was nothing if not the perfect specimen of his race.

"Well then, if he didn't cheat on you, what could he have possibly done to mess things up so badly?"

Bulma toyed aimlessly with her spoon, staring down blankly at her hands, her thoughts obviously far away. "After Buu was defeated and we went back home, I could tell something was wrong with him. At first I just thought it was post-traumatic-stress syndrome, you know, because he had died and all. Yet this seemed to go deeper than that. Finally that night, after Trunks and my parents had gone to sleep, he took me up to our room." Bulma clenched her fists, scowling through her tears. "Kami, Chi-Chi, it had never been so good between us as it was that night. He was so gentle," she reminisced bitterly. "Like he really cared. Then when we were through, he told me the truth." She looked up at her stricken friend, heedless of the tears spilling down her cheeks. "He _let _himself be possessed by Bobbity on his ship." Chi-Chi gasped, eyes rounding with shock. Bulma continued, tone deadened. "He said that he'd wanted to forget his petty attachments to this world, to reawaken the cold and ruthless warrior he had been in the hopes of finally being able to beat Goku and reclaim his _precious_ honor. All those people at the tournament . . . he wasn't being controlled, Chi-Chi," Bulma revealed at last, her voice nothing more than a thread of sound. "He killed all of those people on purpose. Just to goad Goku into a fight. He nearly killed _me," _she cried, "and never even batted an eyelash about it!"

All Chi-Chi could do for a moment was offer her silent support by clutching Bulma's hand, her eyes still widened with disbelief. She sighed.

"He tried to make up for it, though," she felt compelled to point out. "He _did _sacrifice himself against Buu, and helped Goku defeat him later on."

"For Trunks," Bulma answered angrily. "He cares about his precious heir, but I'm just a convenient fuck. Not once in ten years has he ever told me he loves me, or even that I _matter _on a permanent basis. I was just a convenient place to get laid. He never really intended on sticking around. It was just dumb luck that Goku died fighting Cell. He didn't have anywhere else better to go." Bulma shook her head with a shaky sigh. "I was fooling myself thinking that Vegeta of all people could ever love me. And I'm not going to waste one more day on that man. I refuse."

"I guess we've both made up our minds, eh?" was all Chi-Chi could think to respond. Bulma nodded, then sighed.

"My father wants me to try and patch things up with Vegeta, for Trunks' sake. I still don't think that's the best idea. I mean, Trunks from the future was raised away from his father, and we all saw how well _he _turned out."

"Trunks deserves to be around his father," Chi-Chi corrected sternly, but she shook her head soon after. "But that doesn't mean that you have to be. I guess we should just worry about getting those Dragonballs back for now. We can try and sort out the mess our personal lives has become later."

Bulma nodded. "Yeah, I guess you're right." She pulled out the Dragon Radar and clicked the top. "We've got a signal coming through more clearly now, as I'd hoped. I estimate we should be arriving to the first Dragonball's location in about three days." Bulma stared down at the green and yellow grid, expression wary. "Hopefully we won't run into _too _much trouble getting it back. You never know with these things though." She made a face. "It's been my unfortunate experience that wherever there's a Dragonball, trouble won't be far behind."


End file.
